After working in the West for three decades, Shabana Azmi is all set to finally play a colour-blind role, in Halo, the series adaptation of the popular video game. Edited excerpts from an exclusive interview with the actor below:
As you are one of the first major Asian actors to go global, what do you feel about the status of brown actors in the West?
The space for Indian actors in the international cinema is increasing. I think the OTT has played a big hand in that. Also, it makes more business sense for producers to be inclusive, and to involve actors who are recognised and celebrated in their own countries. What inclusiveness does is to ensure that the loyal fans of the actor would definitely watch your product. Nowadays, I see cinema , particularly the crew, as a microcosm of world cinema. In Halo, the diversity was mind-blowing even among the actors: there was Korean, African, Chinese, Australians, Caucasians, Hungarians, and Indian (yours truly!). Diversity and inclusiveness are very important to cinema now.
You have spoken of playing a colourblind role in Halo. I find this notion a bit confounding. Are we to soon accept a white actor playing black and vice versa? For me, Dave Patel playing Charles Dickens was ridiculous.
You know, the struggle of Asian actors has been, why should only the Caucasians be considered mainstream? And why should the main parts go only to them? I mean, if Sir Laurence Olivier can play Othello, why not an Indian actor? Think about it. You found Dev Patel as Charles Dickens unacceptable. I found the casting acceptable. I remember in a Peter Brooks play, many years ago, an African-American playing a brother of a Chinese, breaking all barriers of ethnicity. As a powerful director, Brooks made us drop all our prejudices of casting.
I think it is all about a willing suspension of disbelief. I know one can do it a little more in theatre than cinema. But if we start the process, audiences will learn to accept it.
In Hindi cinema, we’ve had ethnic diversity forever. I mean in my film Fakira (1976), Danny Denzongpa played the saga bhai (real brother) of Shashi Kapoor (laughs). Why should we have a problem with it? I think colour-blind casting is a desirable goal in theatre and cinema. Of course, there is a movement towards more Asian actors being represented in world cinema. But we still have a long way to go. It will be a while before we become a fundamental part of the international fabric. But in the independent films, Asian actors have a far larger space.
Halo is the first international project where you do not play an Indian?
Every part that I have played in the West in the last 34 years has been that of a South Asian, and they were not visible on the screen till very recently. I remember asking John Schlesinger as far back as 1988 that in the book Madame Sousatzka, on which the film is based ,the mother was a Jew, how come he decided to make her Indian? I suppose Ruth Jhabvala, who wrote the screenplay of Madame Sousatzka, had something to do with it but I remember John saying, “Indians are so much a part of the British fabric it must result in the choices we make." Asian actors have been saying why do all the best parts go only to the Caucasians, and why are they presumed to be the mainstream? The struggle for colour-blind casting started about 40 years ago, and finally, we are seeing some results but I know it's still a long way coming.
How did you get cast in Halo?
It was quite surprising because I was not asked to do an audition. The casting directors saw a couple of my films, and suggested my name. My agent Geoff Stanton was in talks with the producers without letting me know. It was only after I got confirmed that I had my first Facetime call with the director Otto Bathurst, whose work I had loved in Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders.
How was it shooting for Halo?
We had a bootcamp subsequently in Budapest, did some readings and workshops, and then on the sets at Korda studios, that had entirely been transformed into the Halo world. The first thing that strikes you is how quiet it is on set. Nobody but nobody raises their voice. I loved working with Otto, who was the showrunner but did only three episodes. Then Jonathan Liebesman and another director after that, as is the want in most series, and their styles were completely different although they had different strengths but I guess you have no choice but to go with the flow.
How was the experience of working in an adaptation of the megahit video game Halo? Did you watch the video game before the shoot?
I was at Seattle Film Festival when I got a call from Otto, who had organised for me to visit the Halo world's lab 343 Industries. It was such an alien world but so fascinating.
I didn't know the game but my 12-year-old nephew Viraaj, who had never before given me time of day, was suddenly impressed, and interested in his Shabana Bua! Then suddenly, all the Halo lovers descended upon me from all over the world, madly excited that I was going to be a part of the world they were so fascinated by. I tried to read a couple of Halo books but must confess I didn't reach too far with that! So I decided to surrender to the vision of the filmmaker.
Your role is that of Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the series. Can you share something about her, the brief given, costumes, personality etc?
She is a hard-nosed, no-nonsense woman but I had to find her vulnerable spot because you can't play any character only on one sur. She is conflicted because she has been trained to abide by the rules, and yet she allows the unscrupulous scientist to manipulate her, break all rules because she promises a panacea for humankind.
Did you make any friends while shooting?
The cast and crew are so diverse, the film set was like a microcosm of the world. Natascha Mcelhone is an excellent actor, and it was challenging to do scenes with her. We ended up becoming friends, and still stay in touch. The costumes are done by Italian designer Giovanni Lipari, who is beyond amazing. The costume department is unlike anything that I have witnessed. They have everything that can be needed in costume, including their own cobbler!
You had a horrible road accident during a break from the shooting of Halo. How did you bounce back?
After my near fatal accident, I went back on set in Budapest 20 days after I was discharged from hospital! My nurse and my friend Parna Patkar accompanied me. My husband Javed Akhtar was checking up on my progress on a daily basis. The production was very accommodating. The first couple of scenes were tough because I had not regained my balance fully but the adrenalin rush that one gets on accepting a challenge saw me through.
How long were you in Budapest?
We were meant to complete the work in July but COVID struck, and we had to leave on 14 April, 2020. We resumed work in February 2021, and the precautions that were taken were incredible. The entire unit did an RT-PCR test every single day. We worked in a bubble. I was staying in an apartment building in which five other actors, including Pablo Schreiber, were living but we were not allowed to visit each other off set, even during our free days. I tried my hand at cooking with disastrous results! I would Facetime chef Vikas Khanna in New York for simple things like how to make dal! I learned my lines, watched films, read book, arranged and rearranged my cupboards, enjoyed my me time. It is a new learning to live on your own, and I cherish it .
Halo is streaming in India on Voot Select.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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